1,000 Indian Recipes (84 page)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups finely chopped mushrooms

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⁄
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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

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⁄
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teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 (20-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets)

1 large egg white, beaten lightly with 1 tablespoon water

1.
Prepare the curry powder. Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onion, stirring, until transparent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, green chile peppers, curry powder, and flour, and stir over medium-low heat until the garlic and onion are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cilantro, and salt and cook until the mixture is completely dry, another 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool before using.

2.
Divide the filling into two equal parts, one for each pastry sheet. Thaw the pastry sheets at room temperature, until they are slightly softened but still cold to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.

3.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. On a lightly floured surface, working with each pastry sheet separately, unfold and gently roll it with a rolling pin to make it smooth. Then cut each sheet into 12 squares. Roll each square to make it slightly larger. Baste the edges with water, place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each square and fold one corner over the filling to the diagonal corner to form a triangle. Seal the edges by pressing with the back of a fork.

4.
Brush the top of each turnover with the beaten egg and then poke a few holes with a fork so the steam can escape. Place the turnovers on the baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Curried Chicken or Lamb Turnovers

Murgh Pattice

Makes 24 pieces

If your palate likes spicy hot tastes, add to this filling any chile-pepper chutney such as
Vinegar-Marinated Green Chile Peppers
. Then cool off with a glass of iced coffee.

1 pound ground chicken or lamb

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

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⁄
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cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

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teaspoon garam masala

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teaspoon ground turmeric

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⁄
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teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (20-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets)

1 large egg white, beaten lightly with 1 tablespoon water

1.
Place everything (except the flour, puff pastry, and the egg wash) in a large nonstick skillet or saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up any lumps in the ground chicken, until golden, about 5 minutes. If using lamb, cook an extra 5 to 7 minutes. Reserve the pan.

2.
Let the meat cool until it is safe enough to handle, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a food processor, add the flour, and process to make it as smooth as possible. Return to the pan and cook about 5 minutes to bind the filling and remove the raw taste of the flour.

3.
Make the turnovers as per the directions for Mushroom Turnovers with Curry Powder, starting from Step 2.

Variation:
Put filling into 6 to 8 small bell peppers or 8 to 10 small tomatoes and bake in a preheated 400°F oven until the peppers (or tomatoes) are soft, about 30 minutes.

Stuffed Fried Pastries (Samosae)

Most every old culture in the world has some form of filled, wrapped, and fried pastry. In India, they are called
Samosas
. These savory stuffed deep-fried triangular pastries are beloved by Indians who serve them as snacks with one or more chutneys. Via Indian restaurants, they have won fans the world over.

Here, I offer traditional recipes, and some shortcuts and variations to make them at home. I have included some recipes using puff-pastry, wonton skins, phyllo sheets, and flour tortillas. Of course, these yield different textures and tastes, but they enable you to make delicious pastries with the least amount of effort.

Samosas
can be refrigerated 4 to 5 days and even frozen. Reheat in a preheated 400°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or give them a quick second fry. This works best when the first frying is brief and not until the
samosas
are golden and fully cooked.

Traditional Stuffed Triangular Pastries

Samosae

Makes 24 pieces

There are 3 basic steps to making
samosas
—making the pastry dough, filling the
samosas
, and deep-frying them. As for the filling you can use just about any dry-cooked vegetable or meat, as long as it is finely chopped or minced and cooked.

1 recipe any
Samosa Filling

1
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cups self-rising flour

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

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teaspoon coarsely ground ajwain seeds

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teaspoon salt, or to taste

About
¹
⁄
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cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour in a medium bowl or a pie dish, for coating and dusting

1
¹
⁄
₂
to 2 cups peanut oil for deep-frying

1.
Prepare the filling. Then prepare the dough: Place the self-rising flour, oil, ajwain seeds, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. With the motor running, pour the water in a slow stream and process until the flour gathers into a semi-firm ball that does not stick to the sides of the work bowl. Remove to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and let rest at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. (This allows the gluten to develop.) If keeping for a longer period, refrigerate the dough.

2.
To roll and assemble:
Lightly oil your clean hands (to prevent the dough from sticking to them), then divide into 12 1
¹
⁄
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-inch balls. Cover with aluminum foil and set aside. Working with each ball separately, flatten it into a disc with your fingertips, coat well with dry flour, then roll with a rolling pin into a 6- to 7-inch circle of uniform
¹
⁄
₈
-inch thickness. If the dough sticks to the rolling surface, coat once again with flour.

3.
Cut the circle in half and brush with water about
¹
⁄
₂
-inch in, along the straight edge. Pick up the two corners and place one over and around the other along the straight edge, then press along the straight edge to seal, making a cone. Also pinch the point of the cone to seal.

4.
Alternately, fold in half, sealing the straight edge to make a simpler cone.

5.
Hold the cone between your thumb and forefinger, with the pointed side down toward the work surface. Fill the mouth of the cone with 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling. Brush the edges of the mouth of the cone with water and press them together to seal. You should end up with a stuffed triangular pastry. Cover with foil and set aside until ready to fry. Repeat with all the other balls of dough.

6.
To fry:
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 325°F to 350°F on a frying thermometer, or when a small piece of the dough dropped into the hot oil rises to the top after 15 to 20 seconds. Place the samosas in the wok, as many as it can hold at one time without crowding, and fry, turning them a few times with a slotted spatula, until crispy and golden on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. (If the samosas brown too quickly, it means the heat is too high; lower it.) Transfer to paper towels to drain, then serve.

Variation:
For bite-size servings, in Step 2 divide the filling and dough into 48 balls. Roll each ball of dough into a 2-inch circle, stuff with a teaspoon of filling, wrap, then fry according to directions, about 2 minutes or until golden.

Sindhi-Style Stuffed Triangular Pastries

Sindhi Samosae

Makes 24 pieces

The Sindhi people, originally from northwest India (now Pakistan) and now scattered all over India and the world, have a unique way of wrapping their
samosas
. With no leavening or oil in the dough and fennel seeds as the main flavor, these
samosas
are considerably different. My friend Moyne Puri graciously showed me how easily and quickly they could be folded.